ITV

Tag: Corona TV

  • Marks & Gran partner Corona TV for new joint venture

    Marks & Gran partner Corona TV for new joint venture

    MUMBAI: British TV writing duo Laurence Marks & Maurice Gran are planning to couple their creative engine with Corona TV’s Richard Johns and Rupert Jermyn in a new joint venture.

     

    The new company will create original scripted programme that will captivate a new generation of mainstream audiences all over the world. LocomoTV is already building up a head of steam with a number of projects already in development.

     

    Speaking on this partnership, Marks and Gran said, “One of the most exciting and rewarding phases of our career was when we had our own production company, ALOMO, in partnership with Allan McKeown, a brilliant, dynamic and forceful executive. We feel a similar frisson in getting together with the young (compared to us), ambitious and enthusiastic production pairing of Johns and Jermyn. We still generate far too many ideas for new projects, so we couldn’t ignore the opportunity to team up with the Corona boys and bring some extra fizz to television.”

     

    LocomoTV will be supported by FremantleMedia, which already has a stake in Corona TV and has the rights to much of Marks & Gran’s back catalogue following Pearson’s acquisition of SelecTV in 1996. FremantleMedia will work with the new company on development and has a first look to distribute any titles originated by LocomoTV. 

     

    FremantleMedia and LocomoTV will also combine to exploit Marks and Gran’s considerable back catalogue through the distribution arm of FremantleMedia International.

     

    Corona Television co-CEOs Richard Johns and Rupert Jermyn added, “Lo and Mo are long-standing pals of ours who just happen to be two of the UK’s best TV writers, and who are bubbling with as much creative energy as they ever were. Decades of success have not blunted one little bit their appetite to bring compelling, deeply human stories and characters to audiences in the UK and worldwide.” 

     

    They further added, “Lo and Mo’s ability to deliver an emotional and dramatic reach to the broadest audiences, across all the ages, classes and the sexes is unrivalled in contemporary British television, and is frankly pretty unique worldwide. It is testament to their deep understanding of the human condition and their skill in finding fresh and compelling ways to highlight aspects of it to audiences. We’re so proud to be launching this bold and ambitious new company together.”

     

    In recent years the duo diversified their talents by moving into theatre, creating hit stage plays such as The Blair B’stard Project, Birds of a Feather – Live and Von Ribbentrop’s Watch. They also wrote the book for Olivier nominated musical Dreamboats and Petticoats and its sequel Dreamboats and Miniskirts, which is currently touring.

     

    Marks & Gran recently received a “Living Legends of Comedy” award by the British Comedy Society and are soon to appear on BBC Radio 4’s iconic Desert Island Discs.

  • FremantleMedia buys 25 per cent stake in Corona TV

    FremantleMedia buys 25 per cent stake in Corona TV

    MUMBAI: FremantleMedia (FM), has taken over 25 per cent stake in Corona TV, the newly-created TV production company from renowned filmmaking duo Richard Johns and Rupert Jermyn. The deal, which gives FremantleMedia a first look option on all Corona TV output, furthers FremantleMedia’s ambition to build its scripted pipeline with projects that will have an epic and cinematic feel and attract international co-production funding.

     

    The deal was brokered by FM’s director of global drama, Sarah Doole, who will take a seat on the board of the new company.

     

    Doole said, “Richard and Rupert have together over twenty five years’ experience in producing successful feature films. Because of this, they look at scripted projects in a completely different way from most production companies, bringing a big screen presence to the small screen. We’ve looked at their production slate and they have some exciting ideas which are ripe for international co-production funding. Having them as part of the FremantleMedia family gives us some brilliant projects for our scripted pipeline, while our existing infrastructure will help bring their epic ideas to fruition. I can’t wait to get started.”

     

    In a joint statement Johns and Jermyn said, “We’re absolutely delighted to have made this deal with the dynamic team at FremantleMedia. As film-makers we have always created big stories for the world rather than one particular market. This move gives Corona Television the strategic financing, distribution and marketing firepower most drama producers can only dream of, allowing us to tell stories for TV on a truly global scale.”

     

    FremantleMedia already has a relationship with Johns and Jermyn, having previously worked on the development of Birds of Prey, a TV adaption of the first three novels of Wilbur Smith’s Courtney series, penned by Layer Cake scriptwriter JJ Connolly. The new company has a number of exciting new projects in the pipeline, with internationally renowned writers and producers already attached, with announcements planned in due course.

     

    Corona TV is a sister company of Corona Pictures, which was founded by Johns and Jermyn in London in 2009. The company develops, produces and markets feature films and television programmes to every country in the world, including the major established markets and key emerging markets such as China.

     

    In recent years Corona Pictures produced and released the multiple award-winning darkly comic hitman road movie The Liability starring Tim Roth, Jack O’Connell, Talulah Riley, Kierston Wareing and Peter Mullan from writer John Wrathall and director Craig Viveiros. Prior to that, the company made Robert Heath’s psychological thriller Truth or Dare. Both films found strong distribution market appetite and are now on release in over 24 international territories. The company is now building rapidly from this production base.